Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash

The Trump administration recently began firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, causing disruption during a busy air travel weekend, just weeks after a fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The firings, which were announced via late-night emails on Friday, primarily affected probationary workers, according to David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union. These employees worked in critical areas, such as FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance, though the full extent of the impact is unclear. Some workers who were terminated were involved in a classified early-warning radar system for Hawaii, a project funded by the Department of Defense to detect incoming cruise missiles.

Despite initial claims from the Transportation Department that no air traffic controllers were affected, questions remain about whether other staff members, including those working on radar and navigation systems, were performing essential safety functions. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association expressed concern about the potential impact on aviation safety and the national airspace system.

Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, one of the employees fired from the FAA’s National Defense Program, voiced particular alarm over the terminations, citing national security concerns. He suggested that the administration may not fully understand the importance of the FAA’s role in safeguarding critical infrastructure. “This is about protecting national security, and I’m scared to death,” Spitzer-Stadtlander said.

The firings were carried out without cause or performance-based reasoning, according to Spero, and the employees received their notifications from a non-government email address. These terminations come as the FAA faces a staffing shortage, particularly in air traffic control, exacerbated by uncompetitive pay, long hours, and mandatory retirements.

This move follows previous firings by the Trump administration, including the dismissal of all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel established after the 1988 Lockerbie bombing to examine safety issues at airlines and airports. Concerns about an overburdened air traffic control system have been growing, especially after a series of near-misses and incidents, including the fatal January crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, still under investigation.

Additionally, Spitzer-Stadtlander speculated that his firing may have been politically motivated, stemming from his criticism of Tesla and X (formerly Twitter), both owned by Elon Musk. He had urged people to boycott the companies after Musk’s controversial gestures at Trump’s inauguration. He alleged that his social media activity drew attention from a mysterious Facebook account linked to the Department of Government Efficiency, which led to his dismissal.

Although Spitzer-Stadtlander was initially told he was exempt from probationary firings due to the national security nature of his work, he was ultimately terminated and had his files wiped without warning. The Department of Government Efficiency has not responded to requests for comment on the matter, and the firings were first reported by CNN.